The atmosphere was charged with tension, as Lenz's distrust of Kisaki only deepened due to the latter's unsettling power of extracting truth from Lenz's mind with but a word. Lenz gripped the sword, its length pulsing with blue light, with both hands, ready for battle. Kisaki took a deep breath, his voice ringing out in the still air. "Do you still doubt me?" he asked, for he knew that the continuation of this confrontation was but a futile exercise, a waste of precious time. It was time to bring this to an end, once and for all, with a decisive exchange of words.
Kisaki stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Hmm. How about this?" he mused. Lenz, how old are you?" His query was inconsequential, a triviality unworthy of being posed to one who could so easily become an adversary.
"I am sixteen years four months and three days," Lenz replied without a moment's pause, the words flowing effortlessly from her lips. Yet she strove to mask the surprise that threatened to reveal itself, for she had not expected to answer so readily. "My ability? I just ask people and they will answer in honesty." Kisaki declared with grave earnestness. "Is that enough? Are you satisfied now?"
Lenz brandished her longsword, pointing towards Mite. "Then ask him what it is that I seek," she commanded.
As Kisaki turned to depart, his words rang out behind him. "Nah, just go ahead and ask him yourself," Kisaki said as he walked away. "He just checks out dead bodies and cremates them. No need for him to hide anything. Unless you got more questions for him. Time's ticking, ain't it?" The clatter of iron plate echoed throughout the surrounding area as the members of the Security Unit and the Military Unit converge, encircling the morgue in a ring of steel.
Lenz dispersed her shimmering sword, the blue light fading as she drew back her hood to reveal locks of midnight blue tinged with brown, eyes aglow. "Korito!" she cried, her voice ringing across the battlefield. "What is the matter, Lenz?" Korito replied with a hint of excitement as he reveled in the heat of battle. "I was on the verge of victory!" He knew that Mité was close to exhaustion, his reserves nearly depleted. "Go forth and buy me some time," Lenz commanded, her voice ringing with authority.
Korito feigned deafness, his focus solely on the task at hand. For him, victory was an obsession, and defeating Mité was of paramount importance. Lenz, ever the wise one, had already deduced her friend's proclivity and sought to use it to her advantage. "Sorry, my mistake," she said with a hint of apology. "Guess I overestimated your abilities. Taking on too many foes at once? Yeah, that's definitely beyond your capabilities."
Korito stood frozen, his weapon hovering inches from fallen Mité. His brows furrowed in anger, his voice tight with rage. "You think I can't handle it?!" he growled, the fury evident in his tone. Lenz, her face a mask of impassivity, spoke not a word in reply, merely stating coolly, "Forget it." Korito clenched his hand into a fist, his muscles bulging with indignation. "You dare suggest I would forget such a thing!" he thundered, his brows furrowed with anger as veins bulged from his temples. "Okay, hold up! I'm gonna smash 'em to smithereens in a hot sec! Just wait, I'll be back in a flash!" With a roar of challenge, Korito took off, spinning his weapon as he charged. The very walls trembled as he smashed his way through, creating a gaping hole through which he made his exit.
"He left," spoke Mité, who had narrowly escaped peril. Panting heavily, he remained laid upon the earth, yet his respite was short-lived. Lenz, her body shimmering with ethereal blue mana, strode towards him, her hand gripping a spear tipped with a razor-sharp ax blade. The weapon was leveled at Mité's throat. Lenz stood tall, ready to strike down her foe with a single swift blow.
Mité gasped for air as he spoke, his words barely audible. "Uh, you're his friends ... right? The letter ... was that from you? I, uh, I have to tell you ... he's dead. A poison killed him. Yesterday afternoon, I think."
Lenz pondered, confusion etched upon her countenance. "His? But why would Inietta take the trouble to send a letter to Rod?" She could not fathom the purpose behind such an act, and it left her bewildered. Mité declared, "The sender is Ruzel and the recipient is Rod." Lenz's gaze sharpened, her spear-blade gleaming as she pressed it closer to Mité's throat. "What does it contain?" Mité felt his head swim and he brought his hands to his temples, striving to still the dizziness that threatened to overcome him. Mité's weary gaze settled upon Lenz's visage. Mité spoke, his voice calm and measured, "Ruzel instructed him to convene upon the South Gate wall." He saw no harm in disclosing the information, for his life hung in the balance, and the sharp spear threatened to bring a swift end to his existence.
"It appears she has used the name of Father Ruzel to send this letter, perhaps with the intention of luring Rod to the outskirts of the town and finishing him off where there are no witnesses. But where is this murderer hiding now?"
"I'm on a mission to track down Sarah, Mité," Kisaki declared with a fierce determination in his voice. "I don't know how to find the God of War yet, but I'll figure it out. I won't stop until I find her." He paused, a hint of frustration in his tone. "To be real with you, I'm not even close to satisfied with whipping your sorry ass. But hey, if you're still like that next time we cross paths, maybe I'll finish the job then." With that, Kisaki strode towards the door, pausing for a moment to add, "We'll meet again." Mité remained silent.
A spear suddenly hurtled to the ground, embedding itself deep into the wall and preventing Kisaki from departing. With a determined step, Kisaki approached the weapon, and after a moment's contemplation, plucked it from the wall. "We're both looking for our friends," Kisaki declared, tossing the spear back to its owner. "The situation with the God of War is no joke. I gotta go, no matter what," And with that, Kisaki vanished from sight.
The weapons in Inietta's grip dissipated into a shower of blue light, trailing after Lenz as she walked away. "We have never been adversaries," Inietta remarked, with a mere glance before departing. "Ah, but we have. You simply were not yet born," Mité countered in a hushed tone, his words barely audible.
Korito still battled with the soldiers outside, their swordsmanship a formidable force. Lenz urgently instructed him to clear the path so they could make haste toward the outskirts of town. "See ya! Maybe we'll meet again next time," Korito declared, before delivering a crushing blow to their opponents.
With labored breath, Mité rose to his feet and cast his gaze upon Anna's lifeless form, crushed beneath a pile of rubble. A sorrowful expression etched across his face. As soldiers approached, Mité bid them leave, instructing them to tidy up the area at a later time. Once he was alone, Mité gave a sharp whistle, summoning a crow from the wreckage above. The bird alighted on his shoulder, and Mité retrieved a small scroll from his pocket, tucking it into the cylinder attached to the bird's leg then releasing the bird into the sky, watching as it took flight and disappeared into the moonlit sky.
Beyond, within the grand mansion of Bell, the sound of footfalls echoed through the marble halls. The pattern of sandals was followed closely by the ominous click of familiar black shoes. "E-Ephi!" cried a woman with long, flowing green strands, as she hurried to the side of the unconscious Ephi. Tenderly, she stroked the sleeping girl's hair, a gesture of gentle care. With thin tears coursing down her cheeks, she wrapped her arms around Ephi, holding her close in a tight embrace.
As they stood before him, Bell loomed tall and imposing. On his right wrist, he donned a fresh obsidian bracelet, adorned with a blazing emerald stripe. "Aeria, she wielded it until her very life force waned." Bell intoned gravely. Aeria extended her slender arms, palms back turned, and in a sudden gust of wind, Bell was hurled against the wall with a resounding crash. Glimmering with moisture, Aeria's eyes shone with grief at Ephi's precarious state. "She's in peril, and you ..." Her tears glistened like dewdrops on a rose. "And you merely observed from afar ...?" The tempestuous winds died down. Bell offered a contrite apology, his voice laden with remorse. "Forgive me, for I could not fulfill my oath entirely. My duties have been manifold of late. We may discuss other matters anon, but there is a task that cannot be deferred." Bell's gaze fixed upon Ephi with unwavering intensity.
Deep beneath the earth's surface, Tobias remained wide-eyed and alert. His thoughts drifted back to the object he had taken from Rod, and he fished it out of his pocket, inspecting the item with care. The card remained pristine, unblemished by the dangers that had beset them. It seemed as though Bell had intended for Tobias to keep it. At first, Tobias had planned to question Ephi about the curious card, but seeing as she had been preoccupied with battle, he had decided to hold onto it himself. Meanwhile, Inietta slumbered soundly, her breaths gentle and even.
Aeria's lithe feet touched the floor as she rose from the bedside, her gaze fixed upon Ephi's form. Extending both hands towards Ephi, Aeria began to infuse her with new strength. Aeria's mana flowed from her fingertips and suffused Ephi's body with a gentle warmth. The energy coursed through Ephi's veins, reinvigorating her heart and spreading throughout her body. "With this, she will mend swiftly," Aeria murmured.
Bell drew near, his countenance inscrutable as black particles coalesced on his outstretched arm, whirling at a frenzied pace without the slightest sound. Yet amid the darkness, new flecks of emerald green began to flicker into existence. Suddenly, a hand plunged deep into a heart niche, blood spurting forth in a crimson arc. As Bell's black bracelet twisted in opposition to the roiling darkness, it began to absorb the verdant mana that emanated from Aeria. "What ... kind of lunacy is this ..., Bell?" Aeria gasped, blood dribbling from her lips as she spoke.
"Maybe the big shot in charge of this place knows something," Kisaki mused, striding forth towards the heart of the city. Her steps echoed softly against the cobblestones as she made her way toward the central district, where the wealthy and powerful nobility resided.
"Get out of my way!" The colossal weapon smashed through the barricades erected by the army at the southern gate, laying waste to all that stood in its path. Lenz and Korito penetrated out of the gate and fled towards a place known as Eleventine.
The unfinished stage was further postponed due to the unrest.